Dr. Rick Mandl - September 24, 2020
What Does Jesus Look Like?
Devotional manuscript: What Does Jesus Look Like
Message by Dr. Rick Mandl on Friday, September 25, 2020
Recorded in Los, Angeles, CA.
Hey church family. I’ve got a question for you. What Does Jesus Look Like?
Some of you upon hearing that immediately think... That’s a ridiculous question – why would you even ask that? Everyone knows what Jesus looks like. He is the most painted figure in all of Western art, recognized everywhere as having long hair and a beard, a long robe with long sleeves. In fact, Jesus is so familiar that whenever his image appears, it’s immediately recognized, whether it’s on a tortilla, or a piece of toast, or even the side of a garage. But did he really look like this? Probably not.
Artists throughout the centuries have painted various portraits of Jesus, often applying their own ethnic and cultural characteristics to their portrayals. And of course movies have variously portrayed Jesus from handsome, strong, and confident to wimpy and weak. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah gave us some insight into Jesus appearance when he wrote these words about Jesus physical characteristics. Isaiah said, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2 NIV). The fact is we have no literary or artistic sources that can tell us for sure what Jesus actually looks like.
I would suggest to you that, today in a very real sense, Jesus looks like His followers. And God’s desire is that the longer we follow Him the more we would resemble Him. 2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us, "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
The Scriptures tell us that the Church is Christ’s Body and each believer is a part. Together, we serve as the hands and feet of Jesus in the world. By our actions and words we represent Jesus to others. Someone has said that you may be the only Bible that others read. I’d encourage you to pause and think about that for a moment. That’s a sobering thought. But it’s true. People are watching us, whether we realize it or not. They hear our words. They see our actions. And they observe our attitudes. From those observations, people draw conclusions about us. Our values. Our beliefs. And our character. Either for good or bad.
Furthermore, if you are a Christian, outsiders are making judgments about Christianity based on what they see in your life. Sadly, some in the public eye, who claim to be Christians, leave an unfavorable impression upon unbelievers. They are sometimes seen as charlatans. Hypocrites. And phoneys. In our business dealings with others, if they see duplicity and dishonesty, it not only dishonors Christ but discredits Christianity. Racial slurs, off color jokes, and crude, offensive comments about others, drastically diminish our influence for good. Our salt has lost its saltiness. Our light has gone out. People see it and read it. And react accordingly. While it may be unfair, people will sometimes judge an entire congregation by one person they know. If that person is hypocritical, unkind, and unfriendly, they label the whole church “as a bunch of hypocrites. Have you ever invited someone to church, only to have them sarcastically respond, “Yeah, I know someone who goes to your church.” Unfortunately, you know what’s coming next.
For good or for evil, our lives are living letters that others are reading. Some folks will never read the Bible, but they will “read” our lives. So, what does Jesus look like? One day, everyone will know for sure when we stand before Him. Until then, the best answer we can give to that question, to a watching world, is that Jesus looks a lot like us.
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